With Help On Halloween
by Daydreamer79
Summary: At a Halloween party thrown by Quatre Winner, Heero Yuy finds what he had thought he had lost with the help of a good-intentioned spirit.


Heero Yuy glanced once more at the invitation cradled in his hand as he stood before the large Victorian-era house. It was a miracle alone that the place was still standing after so many years, especially considering the war that had nearly torn apart the Earth only a few short years ago. The obvious care the owners gave to the house and grounds showed in the freshly painted exterior and the well-manicured lawn. A significant amount of time and money went into keeping the place in pristine condition.

It was the perfect place for Quatre Winner to host a Halloween party. No expense spared was Quatre's middle name.

A Maganac guard stood stalwartly at the door, accepting invitations and opening the door for the parade of guests. A few other armed guards patrolled the grounds surrounding the house. They were good at blending into the surroundings and had he not been who he was, he might not have noticed them at all.

"Ah, Mr. Yuy. Master Quatre will be pleased to see you accepted the invitation," said the guard while taking the invitation from him.

Heero merely nodded in greeting and walked into the foyer, eyes immediately scanning the interior for possible escape routes and cover locales. Even after the institution of the hope for peace, some habits were impossible to shed. His training had become a part of who he was, and though he had mellowed significantly thanks to the peace, there were times when those old habits reared their head.

No one could ever truly escape their past. It defined who they were and he would always scan the rooms he entered for possible threats, just as he could not sleep unless a gun was nearby and never sat with his back to a room. He was who he was, and had accepted that and the quirks he possessed as a result of his colorful past.

In the several years following his time as a terrorist, he had learned a lot, about himself and the world. During the war, he had been forced to keep his eye only on the mission, having learned to compartmentalize his soldier mentality with his human side. All too often he had been called an emotionless soldier, but the truth was that the human part of him had no place in a war. To do what had to be done, he tamped down his emotions and worked on pure instinct and training. After the war, the human part of him was allowed to resurface.

"Heero!"

He was pulled from his thoughts and turned to see Quatre speedily walking toward him, followed by a rather dainty woman. Quatre's wife was a stunning woman with sloe eyes and long dark hair. Her exterior packaging had little to do with her personality. She was a strong soul, something all of those scarred by the war needed during these times of peace. The war had taken its toll on all of them, even Quatre, who was the most emotionally balanced of them all.

Strong arms wrapped around him and hands patted his back. It had been over six months since either had seen each other and Quatre's need to reconnect showed in his clinging. Heero's work had kept him moving around, so that it became difficult to find the time to meet with friends. Now that he was free of it, he hoped to spend a lot of time with old friends.

"You look well, Quatre. Marriage agrees with you."

Quatre blushed and grinned, moving away to wrap his arm around his wife's waist. "I like to think so. I'm glad you came, Heero, though, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't dress for the occasion."

A flourished hand gestured to his costume, a modern rendition of Marc Antony to his wife's Cleopatra. Heero's lips quirked and he glanced over their matching costumes. Quatre always was a bit of a cliché lover. "I'm not one for costumes."

He supposed people jumped at the chance of dressing up so to toss aside their normal lives and become someone else for a night. Such thinking really did not suit him for he had spent a large portion of his life forcing himself to be someone else. Now that he had the chance to be himself, he had no desire to pretend to be someone he was not.

"Well, at least you came."

"We're so happy to have you, Heero," said Claire with a welcoming smile.

"Wufei and Trowa are somewhere about. They'll be happy to see you."

Heero smiled. It had been just as long since he had seen those two, at Quatre's wedding to be precise. It would be nice to catch up with them as well. There was only one missing. "Is Duo here?"

"He said he was too busy on L2 and couldn't make it. It would have been perfect if he had come—all of us together again."

A frown threatened to tug down his lips at Quatre's words. Duo had missed the wedding as well. Of course he had sent well wishes and a gift for the nuptials, but again cited being too busy to attend the ceremony. It had been going on three years since he had seen Duo, and nearly a year since he had spoken to him at all.

"You speak to him?"

"Of course. He vid-calls me once a week for a chat. I tell him that he works too much, but he just laughs and brushes me off, just like he's always done."

"I see," he murmured. "I'm glad that he's doing well enough to keep busy."

Disappointment was rampant in him and he excused himself when a few guest approached Quatre and his wife, Claire. Duo's presence was one of the reasons he had come to the party. Of course he wanted to see the other pilots, but Duo was the driving force in his accepting the invitation. He missed the loudmouth being actively in his life. It was hard to believe that he could miss someone like that, but he did all the same.

He began looking for Trowa or Wufei when his eyes caught a flash of flowing black. Someone dressed as a grim reaper ghosted past him. That was exactly what Duo would wear to this party and his heart leapt into his throat. The rush of excitement left just as quickly as it came, leaving him feeling painfully empty when the hood was pushed back to reveal someone who was decidedly not Duo. The sudden need for a drink flooded him and he abandoned his search for Wufei and Trowa in favor of satisfying the need to forget.

With a deft gracefulness, he eased through the crowd of people and toward the open bar, ordering a whiskey and downing it in one gulp. The burn nearly startled him and he coughed lightly, not used to drinking anything heavier than wine or beer. He signaled the bartender for another and settled on one of the stools provided. This shot would be his last and as such, savored. Even if he was forced to deal with the ache in his chest, he refused to allow himself to become intoxicated. With inhibitions lowered, there was no telling how much residual training would kick in, resulting in him possibly hurting someone.

The second glass did not burn as badly as the first, creating a warming sensation in his gut. He sipped his drink, forcing himself not to pay attention to the people who came and went around him. If he focused on his drink, maybe he could stop looking for Duo and bringing about constant disappointment each time his gaze was drawn, only to be disappointed to find Duo was not there.

In some vague part of his brain, his more instinctual part, he noted someone sitting down beside him and tried his best to ignore the tingling of awareness while sipping at his drink. He could feel eyes on him and clenched his fingers around the glass when a finger poked his cheek.

"I know you know I'm sitting here. I refuse to be ignored."

The glass in his hand shattered and he jerked his gaze to his right, seeing Duo Maxwell grinning at him with his cheek resting on a fisted hand. He looked the same as the last time he had seen him, lanky but well put together with bright amethyst eyes and a broad smile. Duo was here. That alone made the night perfect.

"Shit, Heero. What the fuck did you do that for?" Duo grabbed a handful of cocktail napkins and wiped them over the spilled liquor and glass shards, pushing them away from the edge while the bartender moved to get something with which to clean up the mess.

"Duo?"

"What?"

Heero shook his head. "I didn't think you were coming. Quatre said you were too busy."

Duo released a loud snort and leaned back with a roll of his eyes. "I've got to keep you guys guessing. It's no fun if I'm predictable."

A bit of silence intruded as they stared at each other, seeming to take in each other like a starving man would a buffet. It was Duo who broke the silence, never being one who could stand long spans of quiet. "You look good, Heero. I see working for the Pink Princess has suited you."

"Don't call her that and I don't work for Relena any longer."

To say Duo was shocked was an understatement. His lips were parted and his eyes were wide as he stared at him. "You quit as her head of security?"

Heero shrugged and nodded. "Relena's position requires her to travel extensively. I'm tired of never spending longer than a few weeks in one place. I wanted some place to settle down."

"Will wonders never cease? Quat keeps his army despite the world peace treaty and you quit guarding Relena Peacecraft in order to settle down. I don't know if I can believe my ears. Are you sure you're not just pulling my leg?"

"It's the truth."

"Ha, for a minute I forgot who I was talking to. Well, good for you, Heero. I'm happy for you, though, I'm a little disappointed that you're not in costume."

"You're not in costume either," he pointed out.

With a grunt, Heero glanced at his old comrade. Duo was not in costume, which was surprising. He always was the social butterfly and seemed the type to want to experience these parties for all they were worth. Instead, it was the same Duo with his faux priest garb, black from head to toe. Instead of washing out his healthy skin, the black seemed to embrace him and make him look all the more vibrant. The amethyst splash of color in his eyes was brought to life all the more beautifully. Even dressed much as he always had, Duo looked amazing.

"Yes, I am. I'm dressed like a priest."

Heero arched a brow before snorting and shaking his head. He couldn't tell if Duo was joking or not. "You're just lazy."

"I'll have you know that I'm dressed like the supremely amazing Gundam pilot, Duo Maxwell. Look, I even have the braid." Duo grabbed the end of his long braid and waved it at Heero. "See? You should have dressed in black spandex, a green tank, and ugly ass yellow boots. Then we would have been a matching pair. Me as Duo Maxwell and you as Heero Yuy."

"Shut up," Heero muttered. Though it did not show, he was happier than he had been for a long time. Just being in Duo's presence was like stepping into the warm spring sun after living for months in the grip of winter. He wanted to bask in the warmth.

Duo rolled his eyes and leaned an elbow on the bar, playful grin splitting his face. "It's been forever since I've been planet side. The gravity feels strange. Already my joints are aching."

"They wouldn't bother you if you visited Earth more often."

Duo plastered a pitiful expression on his face. "Harsh, Heero, harsh. You know, I'm not the only person who could do some visiting. My door is always open to my fellow comrades."

"I would have, but you never invited me."

"Friends don't need to be invited."

Heero inclined his head and stared intently into Duo's eyes. "Is that what we are?"

"Sure."

With a nod, he stood. "It was good to see you again, Duo."

"Hey!" Duo shot to his feet as Heero began making his way toward the entrance. "Where are you going? I just got here and you head out. If you didn't want me around, you could have just said so."

"It's not that."

"Then what?"

Heero released another sigh. Duo always was like a bulldog with a bone when he wanted to. That tenacious attitude was what allowed him to survive the slums of L2 and then again during his time as a Gundam pilot.

"Nothing."

"If it's nothing, then will you stay?"

"I suppose," he answered.

Duo's grin was brilliant. He immediately grabbed Heero's hand and dragged him toward the stairs. "I think Wufei and Trowa are upstairs in one of the salons. What is a salon, by the way? I'm guessing that it isn't somewhere to have your hair done."

He tried to stop the snort from coming, but the comment was just so ridiculous that doing so was like stopping a flood from a broken dam. The look he received from Duo was equally priceless as shock and then amusement spread across his face. It was enough to fully push him over the edge and into a raspy chuckle, which garnered him full on incredulity from Duo.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Heero?"

"Shut up, let's just find the others."

With a look of continued amusement, Duo led the way up the stairs. "You know, Quatre told me this place was supposed to be haunted, that's why he chose it."

"Superstitious nonsense," muttered Heero upon reaching the top. "There are no such things as ghosts."

"Way to be a buzz kill, man. I'm guessing that you've never seen a ghost."

"Of course not," he growled. "And I'd bet you haven't either."

"Seeing is not always believing."

"For you, maybe."

"I swear, Heero...you're still a damn stick in the mud. Don't you have any imagination?"

"Just lead the way to the salon."

Duo's hand darted out and grabbed the knob of the first door he came to, ripping it open and walking inside without even looking. "Oh shit, closet."

Heero rolled his eyes and turned to move out of the area when a hard shove caught him directly in his shoulders and sent him tumbling into Duo, both of them collapsing onto the floor of the closet. The sound of giggles filled the air only moments before the lights went out and the door slammed shut, the clicking sound of a lock like a gunshot to their ears.

"Heero? What the fuck happened?"

Heero blinked in the darkness and immediately pulled himself from Duo's body before he ended up embarrassing himself. He was human after all, and the feelings he had for his former teammate were not of the innocent sort. For years, he had kept them locked away, only allowing himself to be aware of them, completely willing to keep them that way as long as Duo was in his life. It was fine until Duo began pulling away and avoiding the calls he left, until he stopped bothering altogether. When that happened, the tingling in his chest became something painful.

"You let someone sneak up on you? Shit, Heero, you've really let yourself go."

A rumbling growl escaped before he could prevent it. "I have not let myself go. There was no one there."

"Well, someone pushed you."

With an unseen roll of his eyes, he began feeling the wall for the door. "Maybe it was the ghost you were harping about."

"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts."

"I don't."

"Well, hurry up and get the door open. I think I've got a mop handle digging into my ass."

He refused to dignify the comment with a response, finally grasping the knob and twisting. Locked, just as he thought. "Do you have your lockpicks?"

"Never leave home without them."

A lock pick pouch found its way into his hand. He took only the span of an instant to savor the feel of the calloused hands before they were taken away. Unbidden, the thought of how those hands would feel on his body worked its way into his thoughts and he fought to stifle a groan before it escaped.

"Can you do that blind? I can't see a thing in here."

He didn't tell Duo that Dr. J had him do just that, leaving him locked in a pitch black room with the only way out being the lock picks he had in his hand. He could have died in that room if he had not figured out how to pick the lock blind. The hardest part was letting go of mental dependence on his sight. Picking was all about instinct and skill, neither requiring sight to accomplish the task.

With skilled hands, he located the keyhole and inserted the pick. As the seconds ticked by, he frowned. It should have popped open long ago. No lock was this difficult.

"Can you get it?"

Another second. And another. Finally, he sighed and sat back on his haunches. "No."

"Let me try."

Duo had even less luck and finally groaned and slammed his head into the thick wood. "Maybe we can break through the door."

Heero stood and slammed his shoulder into the wood. It didn't budge, not even an inch. "Solid."

He ran his hands over the wood. Strange, it had not looked that thick when it had opened. If his mind was not already set against it, he might have considered Duo's comments about a ghost to be a truth.

"Damn it. Hey!" Duo slammed his fist multiple times into the door and called out for anyone to answer. "Can anyone hear me?"

The annoyance in Duo's voice filled the small space when no one answered the cries. "Fuck it all!"

With one last pound to the wood, he finally turned and pressed his back against the door. Heero's ears were filled with the sound of panting. On instinct, he reached out and placed a hand on Duo's shoulder. "Just relax. This is a cleaning supply closet. I doubt we'll be in here long."

"Yeah, but we're missing the party."

The minutes stretched out until both were seated beside each other on the floor. The heat from Duo's thigh soaked into him and he fought back another groan. This was pure torture for him and he was suddenly thankful for the blown light bulb.

"How do you do it?"

Turning his head at the sound of Duo's voice, he frowned. "Do what?"

"Keep so cool. I always wondered how you could keep everything perfect."

"I'm not perfect and just because I don't always show it doesn't mean I don't feel it. I just have to compartmentalize everything I'm feeling."

"You're an odd duck, but I guess all of us are. We had to be to do what we did when we were still going through puberty. Fuck...sometimes I wonder if those doctors were in their right minds doing what they did."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but it just as easily might not have. Then where would we be?"

"Dead," Heero said, with a smile.

Duo snorted. "Funny. I'm trying to be serious."

"Why? It's in the past and there is nothing more we can learn from it. It's pointless to dwell on the past."

"I guess." Duo shifted where he sat. "Since we're stuck here for a while, tell me about your life now that you've quit Relena's service."

"There isn't much to tell. I'm a consultant for the Preventers, but I refuse to take active missions."

He could practically hear Duo's frown. "Why? You're good at missions...I should know, you and I were on enough of them."

"I don't want to fight any more. I'm tired."

The length of the silence extended for nearly a minute before Duo sighed. "Me too."

There was little to say after that. Heero allowed his thoughts to drift over his secret thoughts. Relena had tried, God bless her, she had; but, in the end, they were never meant to be. They both knew it, and when he requested to leave her service, she had allowed it without even a hint of a fight. His heart had already belonged to someone else.

"Duo?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you stop talking to me?"

There was a long pause. The sound and feel of Duo fidgeting beside him drew his attention. "Duo?"

"I couldn't take it."

"Take what?"

"You...being you. I mean...shit, I don't know what I mean. I just couldn't stand the thought of you hooking up with Relena, being her prince, and knowing that I had to see you being happy. Everyone knew that was the way things were going to turn out. Hell, the two of you should have been married by now with a bun in the oven. I didn't want to have to see that."

He felt Duo slump beside him and all he could do was sit wide-eyed. Duo had left because he was with Relena? "I don't understand."

"I just wanted you to see me, but you never did and so I left. I wanted it to be me that made you happy. You can hate me if you want, but that's the way it is."

Shock worked through Heero. He was forced to swallow several times in order to respond. "I don't hate you."

A shudder shook Duo's frame before he relaxed against the door. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"How do you tell another guy you want to be with them, especially a guy like you? I just couldn't do it, so I let things be and went back to the colonies."

Heero nodded, at what he was not sure. The only thought alive and active in his brain was that Duo felt the same. "How long have you felt like that?"

Duo's shoulders gave a shrug. "Since sometime in the middle of the war. I can't really put a moment of revelation on it. It just happened."

"I understand what you mean," he responded.

"How so?"

"Because the same thing happened to me?"

Duo did not say anything and it caused him to shift and turn to face him despite not being able to see his face. "Duo?"

"Who...who do you feel that for?"

Heero smiled and reached out to touch Duo's shoulder. "Who do you think?"

"God, tell me you are not pulling some horrible prank on me...because I will seriously kill you. The God of Death will rise from his ashes and I will kill you."

His hand stroked over the strong muscles of Duo's shoulder and up his corded neck until he reached the slightly stubbly skin of his cheeks. "It's not a prank."

Without another word, he followed his instincts and pressed their lips together. A gasp rocked Duo and he shivered and shifted so that they were facing each other. The kiss started innocently enough, merely a press of flesh to flesh, but grew in intensity. Tongues came into place and the kiss became much wetter. To Heero, it was perfect. Duo tasted spicy, like some of the party oeuvres, not overwhelmingly so, but rather a subtle hint. It was addicting to him and he wanted more.

The space in the closet was becoming overheated and he pulled back to allow them both a moment to breath before diving in for another kiss. Duo was instantly on his lap in a smooth motion and they resumed their kiss, not bothering to even breathe.

Heero's hand edged down Duo's chest to touch what had always been denied him for so long when the door he leaned against opened and both tumbled out, Duo straddling Heero—their lips swollen and wet.

"Heero? Duo?"

Quatre's eyes were wide at the compromising position they were in. Wufei and Trowa at his side were just barely containing their laughter. Composing himself was proving difficult considering that Duo had yet to move from his lap.

"What are you two doing in the closet?"

Wufei snorted, rather loudly. "I think that much is obvious."

"Hey," growled Duo. "It didn't start off like that. The damn ghost locked us in. We were just...uhhh..."

"Passing the time?" offered Trowa.

Duo sighed and leaned his brow against Heero's shoulder. "I'm never going to live this down."

"That makes two of us."

Quatre finally stopped staring with his mouth open. "Do you want me to close the door so you can get back to doing...what you're doing?"

Duo's cheeks were a bright red as he pulled back with a sigh and stood reluctantly. Heero's lips twitched and with a grunt, he rose to his feet as well. "I think we're finished with the closet."

Trowa turned to Wufei and extended his hand. "Pay up."

Wufei scowled, but withdrew his wallet from his trousers and slapped a twenty on the open palm. "I can't believe you remembered that bet."

Trowa merely smiled and turned on his heel, leaving the other four to stare at his back. Wufei's annoyed scowl darkened before he finally shrugged his shoulders. "I think I'm going to go get a drink."

"I think I'll join you," said Quatre. "I'll leave the two of you to...compose yourselves."

The two remaining pilots watched them leave before Duo groaned and dropped his face into his hands. "God, this is so embarrassing."

"We can forget about it if you want."

The hands dropped away and Duo latched them onto Heero's shirt. "Don't you dare think that...unless you didn't mean what you said."

"I meant it...every word."

"Then...I guess we're...what are we?"

Boyfriends seemed so adolescent and they were not quite to the point of being lovers. He had never been one for labels anyway. "Does it matter what we call ourselves? If you require a label, simply say we're together."

"Together..." Duo grinned broadly. "I like the sound of that."

Heero lowered his hand and threaded their fingers together. "So do I."

"Hey, Heero, do you think it was a ghost who locked us in that closet?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? Does it really matter?"

"Nope, I guess not. Hey, ghost, if you're there...thanks."

As they made their way back downstairs where the party was in full swing, giggling laughter filled the now empty hallway. The lights flickered ever so faintly and a draft of wind shifted the curtains at the end. A shadowy woman's visage flitted in the reflection before disappearing from sight just as quickly as it came.

_You're welcome._

The End.

**AN:** Written for the Reader's Appreciation club Halloween challenge on Ygallery. I probably over rated this story, but I have a hard time judging just when a story moves out of T and into M, so I just went with M. I hope everyone that reads this enjoys my first attempt at Gundam Wing.


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